Blueberry banana almond smoothie

Four favorites and a blender makes up this pink creamy wonderful smoothie! Today I didn’t think about what to put together, but just went straight after food that I love. So I picked my favorite berry which is blueberries, a banana which always gives smoothies this delicious creamy texture and adds it natural sweetness, almond milk which is my favorite non-dairy milk  that has a delicious nutty sweet taste, and some amazing shia seeds that are very easy to digest and fills you up with endless goodies like fibers, protein, calcium and omega3 among other. Bananas are also an incredible source of magnesium and fibers and the blueberries are high in antioxidants which fights oxidative stress also a great source of vitamin K and C. So luckily enough, although my intent wasn’t to pick my ingredients wisely, they are highly nutritious and adds lots of healthy stuff to our bodies.

Ingredients

One banana

A handful of blueberries

Two tablespoon shia seeds

Almond milk to cover the ingredients

One tablespoon flaxseed oil ( I added it to get an even bigger amount of omega3 in my smoothie and it also helps my digestion to work better) 

Place the banana and blueberries in a blender, cover it with almond milk and add the flaxseed oil. Blend until the texture is creamy and add more milk if you want it to be a bit lighter. Add the shia and quickly blend it through the smoothie. To top it add more blueberries or anything else that you like.

Have a beautiful day.

-Natalie

coconut oatmeal with berries and honey

Good morning!

Having family over for a little week, didn’t give me much time to insert new blogposts. But I’m back, and so are my breakfasts! Yesterday was a hot sunny day on the island, and sunny days always remind me of coconut. I love it in all its forms and shapes! I love to eat it, I love to drink it and I love to use it on my skin, yes even in my hair! So I used a little bit of my inspiration from yesterday to make a deli breakfast bowl. I left some oats to be soaked in coconut milk overnights, which almost gets the same texture as porridge but in a cold version. I then topped it with blue and raspberries. I am crazy with berries and it’s benefits! They are full of antioxidants which fights oxidative stress and makes your skin look healthy and fresh. They have high concentrations of anthocyanin, an antioxidant that may help lower blood pressure and improve blood vessel function. Especially blueberries are one of the highest antioxidant berries. They reduce memory decline and are an excellent source of vitamin K, C, magnesium and fiber. Raspberries have got a compound which is called raspberry ketone, which is said is a weight loss supplement. They also contain a large amount of vitamins and minerals such as iron, copper, magnesium, vitamin K and C. To get more of the coconut taste I topped it with shredded coconut, honey and pumpkin seeds which are high in omega3 and contains minerals such as magnesium and zinc. Their high levels of easily-digestible protein helps stabilize blood sugar when eaten as a snack during the day.

Ingredients

 2 handful of Gluten-free oats

Coconut milk to soak de oats ( not the cream, but the one that can be used as any other non- dairy milks)

A palm of shredded coconut

A handful of blue and raspberries

A palm of pumpkin seeds

A tablespoon honey

As I wrote before, coconut is one of my all time favorite fruits! First of all it tastes amazing, and second, its use is a never ending story! I like to use coconut oil as a hair or facial mask, it makes your skin incredible soft and your hair soft and shiny. Normally I leave it in my hair or on my face for about 30 minutes, and then rinse it off. Sometimes I even leave it in my hair overnights! The longer you can leave it the better it works. When my skin is really dry I use it as a moisturizer. If you don’t like the smell of coconut on your skin, there are plenty of coconut oils without it.

Coconut is also a really good product to make non-dairy milk of. It is very easy to make your own and you only need shredded coconut, water and a blender. For every cup of coconut you need two or three cups of water, all depending on how thick you want the milk to be. Boil the water and then pour it over the coconut. Mix it together in a blender until the texture is as smooth as possible. Strain the coconut solids carefully and voila!  You will have a liquid that is fresh coconut milk. Store the milk in jar in the refrigerator and use it as milk over your breakfast or as a cool glass of coconut milk on a hot summer day!

To get back to the health benefits of coconut it is amazing what this fruit can do. No wonder why the pacific islanders call the tree where it is grown “The tree of life”. This fruit has endless healing properties as they are antiviral, anti fungal, antibacterial and anti-parasitic, meaning that it kill harmful bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. Because of that it can help treat illnesses such as influenza, giardia, lice, throat infections, urinary tract infections, tapeworms, herpes, gonorrhea, bronchitis and numerous other ailments caused by microbials. It has a nutritious source of fiber and vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Not to forget the tons of potassium, calcium and magnesium. Its antioxidant properties slows down the aging process by protecting the body from harmful free radicals. What I find really interesting is that  coconut water is known to have the same electrolyte levels as human plasma, and has even been used for plasma transfusions!

So don’t be afraid to eat too much coconut, it’s good for you! yes there is fat in it, but it actually lowers cholesterol and reduces the changes of heart disseases, this is because its fat content is simply changed into energy, lessening the likelihood of fat buildup in the arteries and heart.

Hope you liked it.

Enjoy your day!

-Natalie